TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (Philippine History and Government)

Figure 1. K to 12 Basic Education Framework

“Vital in this educational reform is a clear articulation of curricular content relatice to the promise of
developing Filipinos with the “ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global communities.”
Thus, Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) as a learning area/program is an essential component of the
Philippine K to 12 Curriculum.
TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (Philippine History and Government)

 SOCIAL STUDIES: MEANING, CONCEPTS AND PURPOSE

Social studies is an integrative learning program intended to develop civic competence among students.
Civic competence – the ability to engage effectively with others in the public
domain, and to display solidarity and interest in solving problems affecting the local and wider community.

National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) defines social studies as: “the integrated study of the social sciences
and humanities to promote civic competence. It provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such
disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science,
psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural
sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the
public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an independent world.”

Social studies is composed of two words, social and studies. According to Arthur Dunn as articulated by David
Saxe, “… the purpose of social studies was n the term’s meaning as a verb – as in, good citizenship – not in its
meaning as a noun – as in, studying the content of particular social science or history subjects.” Meaning, social
studies was conceived as something one does – studying or examining social science topics which include civic
competence, history, governance, society and culture among other things.

As one of the learning areas in the Philippine K to 12 Basic Education Curriculumm, Araling Panlipunan (Social
Studies) intends to:
- develop among learners critical understanding on historical, geographical, socio-political, and economic
issues of the Philippines, considering international and global contexts in becoming productive citizens of
the country and of the world.
- Engender among Filipino learners historical mindedness, critical thinking, civic
competence, cultural tolerance, and respect for diversity.

“The K-12 Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) intends to develop critical, reflective, responsible, productive,
nature –loving, nationalist, and humane citizens rooted in his/her identity as Filipino yet manifests the values and
skills of a glocal citizen. The sai goal is expected to be achieved by employing sound learning theories, which
include:
Constructivism, Collaborative learning, Experiential, Contextual learning. Alongside this is the use of relevant
approach and strategies such as thematic-chronological and conceptual approach, discover approach, integrative,
interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary approach.”

 MYTHS ON THE ORIGIN OF SOCIAL STUDIES

1. Continuous Spontaneous Existence (CSE ) Theory

● Social studies, exists without any antecedents. It holds the idea that social studies’ past is not
relevant. Various writers and scholars did not include a comprehensive study on how social
studies became part of the subjects being taught in basic education. For many, the subject arose
simultaneously with other learning programs/areas.
According to David Warren Saxe, in his Framing a Theory for Social Studies Foundations published in
1992, “the text focus merely on the teaching of social studies, the 18 text did not offer any explanation as
to why or how social studies came to be part of school curricula. For whatever reasons, the authors
decide to ignore the notion of origins or historical orientation altogether. To the presentist authors –
using an inventive ahistorical mentality- each preservice social studies teacher is charged to activate
social studies in his or her own image without historical antecedents to bother or ponder with.”
TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (Philippine History and Government)

2. Big Bang Theory of 1916

● This is centered on the idea that social studies suddenly appeared in the year 1916, thanks to the
Committee on the Social Studies under the sponsorship of the National Education Association
(NEA; Dunn, 1916). There are literatures that espoused this idea. One of the classic examples of
this theory is found in the International Journal of Social Education in a special issue titled “Social
Studies as a Discipline”.
3. History Foundation Theory
● This is an extension or deeper interpretation of the big bang theory. Here, conventional wisdom
holds that, since history education existed before 1916, obviously history was the seedbed or
promulgator of social studies.

 Demystifying the Myths: Origin of Social Studies Explained

 Before the deliberation of the 1916 Social Studies Committee, the term social studies was widely
used in research literature, and its meaning was common to many. Data revealed that as early as
1883, the term social studies was already in circulation among social welfare advocates.
 Carroll D. Wright, the 1st Commissioner of Labor and a member of Allied Social Sciences
Associations (a member of American Social Science Association (ASSA), who emphasized the link
between Social Science instruction and good citizenship
 At the turn of the 20th century, social education was redefined and narrowed to identify a special
area of school curricula to be devoted expressly to social science and citizenship concerns. This
important shift – from the generic and all encompassing term of social education for all school
curricula to a specific course of social education among other education programs – marks a
symbolic beginning for social studies in schools.
 Edmund James, president of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, was the first to
use social studies as an element of school curricula in 1897. He defined it as a general term for
sociologically-based citizenship education. He then suggested to pull together the social science
for use in the lower schools under the umbrella of “social study”.
 There was a time that a generalist approach be replaced by specialist approach, public school
leaders opted to continue with the notion of a general field approach toward citizenship
education. At the heigh of this, Clarence D. Kingsley launched his Commissioin on the
Reorganization of Secondary School Subjects. He presented his idea of education reform in a
modern social light to the National Education Association in 1910, eventually formalized as the
Committee on the Articaulation of High School and College (NEA, 1911,1912)
 The Committee title shiftedd from social science to social studeis and thus became Committee on
Social Studies. This committee advocated a program of active participation that included two
major interdisciplinary courses.

The social studies that we have at present is a product of an evolution. The dynamic transformation of
its meaning could be summarized into three things. These include:
 A meaningful integration of history, geography, civics, and the various social sciences used
to promote the learning/practice of civic competence
 A program that emphasized direct/active studetn participation
 A representation of two interdisciplinary courses, “Community Civics”and “Problems of
American Democracy.
TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (Philippine History and Government)

In the Philippines, there is a continuous marginalization of this discipline in the form of insufficient
budget, shorter time allocation, and scarcity of teacher-training development compared to other
programs such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) where funding support like
scholarships, international training events, and the like are numerous. Araling Panlipunan’s relegation to
the border of instructional priorities poses long-term fatal effects on the national identity and
consciousness. This is evident as historica revisionism, production and propagation of fake news, rise of
authoritarianism, cultural bigotry, and weaking democratic institutions dominate the current landscape
of Philippine politics.